Subway Series: Mets’ Juan Soto to face old Yankees teammates

On December 7, 2023, the New York Yankees swung a blockbuster trade with the San Diego Padres. It cost a pretty penny, with future Cy Young contender Michael King leading the five-player package going the other way, but the Bronx Bombers landed two hitters: backup outfielder Trent Grisham and the man best comped to no less than a young Ted Williams: Juan Soto.

It was a bold swing from the Yankees, as Soto only had one year of team control remaining and was sure to demand a monster contract in free agency. With Scott Boras as his agent, there was no hope whatsoever of an extension, either. But the Yanks were desperate after missing the playoffs in 2023 with their worst season since Derek Jeter’s draft year, 1992. Their captain, Aaron Judge, was an unquestioned superstar, but the previous season proved that he needed more support in the lineup for the team to make a real run. And since he was on the wrong side of 30, time was of the essence.

Fast-forward 10 months to October 19, 2024. Led by incredible campaigns from Judge and Soto, who finished first and third respectively in AL MVP voting, the Yankees won the AL East, earned a first-round bye, dispatched the Royals in the Division Series, and sat one win in Cleveland away from securing their first pennant in 15 years. Judge hadn’t been hitting much in October, but key contributions from Soto and a resurgent Giancarlo Stanton had them on the doorstep of the World Series. The potential clincher went to extra innings, and Soto stepped up to bat with two men on in the 10th.

An at-bat for the ages followed. By the time the dust settled, Soto had all but sent the Yankees to the Fall Classic.

The Dodgers ultimately broke the Yankees’ hearts in the World Series, but Soto did just about everything he could, completely winning over Yankees fans in the process. They demanded that owner Hal Steinbrenner and company bring the 26-year-old back and give it another go with Judge. It was far from an unreasonable request for the jewel franchise, and the odds seemed good that Soto would indeed return. He had a career year while batting in front of Judge, and historically, if the Yankees have legitimate interest in re-signing one of their own players, it almost always comes to pass. That is the way of things.

Sure enough, on December 13, 2024, a smiling Soto met the press in New York after agreeing to an industry-shaking free agent contract … with the Mets.

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

Well, that’s different.

Soto landing in Queens was somehow simultaneously a surprise and not terribly shocking. Again, the Yankees usually land their guy, most recently in December 2022 when fresh off an AL record-setting 62-homer season, Judge returned to New York for a $360 million deal after flirtations with the Giants and Padres.

But the Mets weren’t in on that bidding war, and their owner, Steve Cohen, has the kind of pure capital on hand that can dwarf all 29 other teams—even the loaded Yankees—when he wants to use it. Soto represented a unique opportunity to land a slam-dunk star in his mid-20s, at an age when players of that caliber are usually under team control. Like the Yankees, the Mets fell just shy of glory in 2024 since the Dodgers cut their dream season short in a six-game NLCS. Although they entered the playoffs as a Wild Card and far exceeded anyone’s expectations, coming so close to seeing his first World Series as an owner had to stick in Cohen’s craw. Unlike for many owners, the Mets aren’t just an investment for him — they’re a passion.

Cohen was driven to get Soto, and he got his man. It took a 15-year, $765 million offer with no deferrals and the inclusion of a potential opt-out void clause that could boost the actual contract to $800 million, but Soto agreed to turn down the Yanks in the bidding war and join the Amazins.

Now, as the calendar hits mid-May, both the Yankees and Mets sit in first place as they prepare for their first Subway Series matchup of the season. They’ll play three games at Yankee Stadium this weekend, and Soto will be back in the Bronx for the first time since spurning the fans who wanted him so badly less than a half-year ago. As Soto himself knows, the reception is sure to be extremely different.*

*And like with Robinson Canó a decade ago, probably lacking in self-awareness about the fans’ own preferred team.

All of this makes the Subway Series particularly compelling this year. In the past, it’s often been overhyped. Mets fans loathe the Yankees, but Yankees fans generally consider the Mets to be an annoying little brother, if they’re even considered at all. This doesn’t mean that good games are impossible to find; the two teams were playoff clubs in 2022 and produced a helluva rumble on July 27th of that year with late-game heroics on both sides.

But the best Subway Series matchups have some extra spice to them. Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza’s seemingly eternal war from the early-2000s comes to mind, spilling over into an unforgettable World Series showdown.

Nowadays, no one in the Yankees or Mets’ clubhouses holds that kind of enmity toward someone on the other side. Even little flickers like Mark Teixeira trolling Hansel Robles in 2016 only matters so much.

Perhaps for the first time though, Yankees fans are particularly motivated to see the Mets fail. Little bro stole their favorite toy, after all. Wouldn’t you be pissed? That was a cool Power Ranger! He came equipped with a Dragon Shield and everything!

The circumstances behind the two teams’ strong starts are also fascinating. For the Mets, Soto has been good, but not electric. One of his perks is that even his comparatively slow stretches are productive, so while he might be hitting .255 with the second-lowest slugging percentage of his career, his mastery of the strike zone means that he still has a .380 on-base percentage and a 143 OPS+. May we all slump like that.

Another offseason signing has actually been better for the Mets. Pete Alonso had hopes of a nine-figure deal after hitting free agency, but the market turned its nose up at the slugging first baseman. He had to settle for a one-year, $30 million contract with a player option for 2026 that barring injury will now almost certainly be torn up. Alonso is hitting .311/.421/.584 with a 187 OPS+, numbers that would all top his record-setting rookie season from 2019.

Add in another great showing from 2024 NL MVP runner-up Francisco Lindor, a Senior Circuit-leading 1.22 ERA from Kodai Senga, and a pitching staff that has been nothing short of spectacular thus far, and you have a club that is 28-16 and currently having no issue outclassing the Braves and Phillies (the last two division champions). It doesn’t matter that starting pitchers Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill could walk through Grand Central in Mets jerseys and not get recognized — they’ve been terrific. Further, the Mets’ decision to sign displaced Yankees closer Clay Holmes and convert him to the rotation has already paid dividends with nine strong starts.

As for the 25-18 Yanks, their run to the top of the AL East has been led by—you guessed it—a certain Mr. Judge. The best hitter in baseball is playing with his food and somehow topping both of his past MVP seasons with an outrageous .412/.497/.782 batting line, leading the majors with 15 homers and a 264 OPS+. It’s one of the hottest starts through 40 games in MLB history. He’s downright cartoonish.

The Yankees have found success with some moves that came about from their post-Soto pivot as well. Former Braves lefty Max Fried became their top free agent addition, and he’s rewarded them with a league-best 1.11 ERA and 56.2 innings through nine starts. His leadership as staff ace has been essential with Gerrit Cole going down for the season back in March with Tommy John surgery.

Beyond Fried, the Yankees picked up seven-time All-Star Paul Goldschmidt on a one-year deal to man first base. The 37-year-old has turned back the clock in the early going with a .346/.395/.506, 154 OPS+ showing. The second former NL MVP they acquired, Cody Bellinger, has only been adequate, Stanton has yet to play a game due to elbow injuries, and two-time NL Reliever of the Year Devin Williams has been terrible as the new closer. On the other hand, 2024 playoff bullpen hero Luke Weaver hasn’t missed a beat stepping back into his old role following Williams’ struggles, and second-year player Ben Rice has done a damn good Stanton impression, filling in at DH and hitting the hell out of the ball with a 151 OPS+.

Most amusing of all has been that forgotten second outfielder acquired in the original December 2023 trade that brought Soto to New York in the first place. Trent Grisham began 2024 in a slump and went underused even with starter Alex Verdugo falling off a cliff in the second half. Verdugo then had a paltry .622 OPS in the postseason, but Grisham still didn’t get into a single playoff game. The Yankees bid adieu to Verdugo in free agency and entered 2025 intending for their primary outfield alignment to feature Judge, Bellinger, and rookie Jasson Domínguez.

Given some occasional early starts in center field, however, Grisham has capitalized on his opportunities and all but forced Yankees manager Aaron Boone to give him regular playing time, too. His .283/.367/.628 triple slash with a 176 OPS+ surpasses Soto’s current Mets numbers, and he ranks third in the AL in homers with 12, despite just 113 at-bats. Grisham has already slugged more dingers than he did in all of 2024 and is also one shy of Verdugo’s total from last season. Was it really the Trent Grisham Trade all along?

So yes, there are the traditional City-wide bragging rights on the line in the ol’ Subway Series. But with all the hubbub around Soto’s move across town and these two teams’ hot starts to 2025, it should be an awesome all-around weekend of baseball in the Bronx.